Video Games Affect Biology

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Video Games and How They Affect our Biology

In the past, there have been many debates on video games and whether or not the effects they can have are beneficial or harmful. Most people would tell you that it is the latter; however, newer research and studies suggest that video games present many more advantages than what one would expect. They have been proven to be of use in aiding those with mental disabilities as well as providing an alternative means of exploration for people with physical disabilities. Video games have shown to be useful as a teaching aid in the form of simulations that could be used to teach aspiring surgeons about performing surgical proceeding in a realistic way without a real person being practiced on. The future
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One of the most well known pros for playing video games is it’s ability to hone and improve one 's motor skills. They have been shown to improve one’s temperament through various means such as chemical releases within the brain along with invoking a sense of nostalgia. There are many surprising perks to playing video games that many people wouldn’t see on the surface but effect gamers in more ways than one. Many benefits and advantages of video games can be seen through the psychological effects that video games have on people. One example of this is through nostalgia. Nostalgia is generally defined as: a sentimental longing for the past, especially in references to how things use to be. Nostalgia is created in the minds of gamers when they play remakes and remodels of older video games into ones that can be played on today’s consoles. This nostalgia factor can help people cope with the stress and sadness of everyday life. This assists people in alleviating their stress, ultimately helping them with psychological issues such as self esteem, trust …show more content…
Even though the history is short, the gaming industry has rapidly evolved from large, black-and-white 2D pixels to incredible hyper-realistic graphics. When video games were first introduced, no one knew exactly what to do with them. Everything from fighting 8-bit alien space ships to polygonal silhouettes playing baseball; if it could be coded, it was made into a game. Most were considered failures, but a few such as Galaga and Frogger are still considered arcade classics anyone of any age can fall in love with. As technology improved and gamers started defining exactly what they were looking for, video games morphed and molded into what we have today and will continue to do so until the demand for video games is all but fizzled out. As for the future of the gaming industry and what it has to hold, there is much speculation. As Michael Dolan from PBS stated in his article The Future of Video Gaming, “These days it seems almost everyone has a theory about the future of video games… Because game designers are inhibited only by creativity and available technology, the potential will grow as their capability to move more polygons cheaply comes to fruition — something that the computer industry is working on every day” (Michael Dolan). As of now, in the year 2016, we have the ability to simulate real life expeditions, procedures, and experiences as well as tabletop games and dungeon crawlers where the purpose is to explore,

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